In partnership with Qatar-based The Group to support credit card processing and instant issuance

Third-party processing agreement includes card hosting, management and Card personalisation

Dubai, UAE; November 27, 2011: Network International (NI), the leading independent payment solutions provider in the Middle East, announced today that it has launched instant credit card issuance services in the region. NI also announced the signing of a partnership agreement with The Group, a financing and brokerage firm based in Qatar, to provide third-party processing of credit card products to The Group and its clients. The Group has more than 20 years experience in financial activities and its annual transaction volume exceeds 62 billion Qatari Riyals.

Under the terms of this agreement, which was signed by Ram Chari, Chief Executive Officer of Network International, and Hamad Bin Khalaf Al-Moudadi, Chairman of The Group, NI will provide a range of services to The Group, including card hosting, management and personalisation.

Utilising its innovative technology platforms, NI will also provide The Group with an instant card issuing solution, allowing The Group to approve and issue credit cards instantly for its high net worth individual clients in less than five minutes. NI's state-of-the-art instant credit card issuance solution is seamlessly integrated with The Group's front end system and the instant issuance can be performed with the highest standards of security.

"Network International is at the forefront of card management solutions in the UAE, and has the capability to develop custom-designed solutions for various organisations," said Ram Chari, CEO NI. "Additionally, our pioneering technology platform and the unlimited capacity to process several organisations at any given point in time have enabled us to develop the instant card issuance solution, which is being offered for the first time in the region.

"We are extremely pleased to announce this partnership agreement with The Group, a leader in integrated financial services solutions in Qatar. In particular, we are confident that Network International's instant issuance solution will prove a significant differentiating factor for both existing and potential clients of The Group, and we look forward to further broadening this partnership in the years to come."

This partnership with The Group is in line with NI's strategic expansion plans to provide advanced payment card processing services to a wider network in the Middle East region. Network International currently partners with more than 60 financial institutions and over 17,000 individual merchants, offering both card issuing and merchant processing services.

"This partnership agreement with Network International will accelerate our expansion, allowing us to serve our clients better and more efficiently," said Al-Moudadi. "Based on Network International's track record of innovation, including planning, designing and developing software and services for the payments industry, it is clear that they are the right partner for us as we enter the next stage of our ongoing growth journey."

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About Network International:
Established in 1994, Network International LLC is the largest acquirer, and one of the leading payment solutions providers in the Middle East, geared to meet the needs of banks, financial institutions and large and individual retailers. It is a Principal Member of Visa International and MasterCard International for the UAE, offering customers the most comprehensive range of payment products and services for both the Issuing and Acquiring segment of the card payment industry. Offerings include credit and debit card processing services, ATM management and monitoring, merchant acquiring plus consumer finance applications. Network International provides consultancy services ranging from planning and designing, to developing of new card and consumer finance products and services.

Network International is the first independent vendor certified by both Visa & MasterCard for card payments in the Middle East. It is the UAE's largest payment acquirer for Credit & Debit Cards and the largest third-party processing vendor offering complete EMV certified solutions as institutions migrate to EMV Smart Card technology.

About The Group:
Established in 1990, The Group has a customer base more than 300,000 and a shareholders' equity exceeding one billion Qatari Riyals. It carries out financing activities through its affiliate company, The Group Finance

For further information about Network International, please contact:
Sudha Chandran / Sameh Hamtini
ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai, UAE
Tel: 971-4-4507600
Fax: 971-4-4358040
Email: s.chandran@asdaa.com / s.hamtini@asdaa.com

For further information about The Group, please contact:
Amr Hammouda
The Group Finance - Credit Cards Manager
Doha, Qatar
Tel: 974 44658459
Fax: 974 44622462
E-mail: ahammouda@thegroup.com.qa

© Press Release 2011